RPM Season 2. Prof. Cog survived his destruction and remained in hiding, waiting for the moment to revive Venjix. A secret illusive group plans to take over Corinth. Another Alphabet Soup scientist emerges with his own agenda. New relationships are formed, others are broken and secrets are spilled which brings the world of RPM on its head... and near its end. NOW COMPLETE!

Power Rangers RPM: Reconstruction is a Season 2 fic. It takes place two years after end of the television series.This a retooling of the original Reconstruction fic that I started right after the television series end. I have this thing for following story canon, and where I was going was in a different direction, WHICH, was fine until RPM was brought back in Super Samurai.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers RPM was created by Disney, but is now owned by Saban Brands.

While I am not a shipper by trade, I know many readers come to this site for shipping couples; thus these couplings are written into the story: Dillon/Summer, Ziggy/Tenaya, Flynn/Gemma and Scott/Doctor K.

Written by Blanks

Episode 1: Homeward Bound

The year is 2014. Two years have passed since the Venjix Computer Network was shutdown. With the final defeat of Venjix, all of his Grinders, facilities and plants across the planet shut down immediately. People who had survived the harsh landscape began to come out of their hiding spots and began to rebuild as word spread the North American continent. From a world population that was in its billions, the population has been negated down the smallest of a few million only within the confines and surrounding areas within and around Corinth City.

More than enough genetic diversity to repopulate the world… over time.

If any good came out of humanities near extinction, everyone came together, no matter their race, sex and religion, or wealth. For many, all past prejudices and hate were buried. If humanity were to survive, humanity had to change. To evolve. To become better.

However... there are still those who cling onto the past. Those who still cling onto their own selfish means to further their own agenda. Those who want nothing more than power and control and they don't care who they must crush in order to fulfill their hunger for that control. Such as the group simply called The Covenant. For many years, this shadowy group has made many power plays across the globe. Consolidating power. Destroying. Creating war. To be a member of The Covenant, one had to be one of the top one percent wealthy elite and share the united vision throughout the group of where they wanted to direct humanity toward. One central government, one power. One voice.

The Covenant is also responsible for founding, as well as funding, Alphabet Soup.

However, even the Covenant was not prepared for the onslaught that Venjix brought to the planet. Nearly every member of the Covenant was killed as the Venjix Computer Networks forces spread across the globe. For all their power and money, it was worthless to the malignant, sentient computer virus who hated humanity. But some did survive. And those who did, made their way to Corinth City, the last city of Earth which still bears some semblance of the old world. Odd enough, it was the Covenant who had paved the way for Corinth City, one known as Haven, to become Corinth. The Covenant had funded the construction of the dome that circled the city. The many members of the Covenant wanted their own city, one away from the rest of humanity. A city where the wealthy could segregate themselves from the Middle and Poor classes across the country. Other members of the Covenant, those who lived in other Continents had begun to fund the construction of their own Domed Cities.

Venjix destroyed them all before they could be completed.

In one of the tallest buildings of Corinth, belonging to the Winchester family, a group of eight men are seated around an oval table in the middle of a darkened room. The only light is coming from the ceiling, illuminating the table. And then there is also the thick smoke, coming from several cigars that are lit. These Covenant Members, they are the last of the Illuminati.

"So... should we start with new business... or old," Charles Winchester the Third begins, looking around his fellow members.

"There is no new business," an older, balding Caucasian man snorts. He takes in a long drag of his cigar "Everything is proceeding smoothly."

"I have conformation that we now have Commander Hannibal Murdock now on our leash," another member states. This one has long silver hair and a large pair of glasses sit atop of his nose.

"Good," the eldest Winchester interlaces his hands, smirking. "I had a feeling that he would come to our side. Did he speak of why?"

"Apparently, he has wanted the Colonel's job for years," the man speaks. "While the Colonel was determined to protect the city, the Commander took forces straight for Venjix before the dome was sealed. The two have had opposing views on handling the war with Venjix."

"Views that even his son did not share," Chaz Winchester the Forth, the former fiancé of Summer Landsdown speaks. He is the youngest member of the group, being brought in by his father shortly after Venjix was destroyed two years prior. "Scott Truman, the former leader of the Ranger Series Project wanted to take the fight to Venjix the entire duration of his time served as Operator Series Red. The Colonel and he butted heads often concerning the matter."

"Well, now that we know that we have someone inside the military on our side... we need to decide on what to do with the Colonel."

"I say discredit him," another begins. "Having him assassinated would arouse suspicion. Besides, he is seen as a hero... even before the Venjix Wars. What we have to do is to make the public distrust him and to cause such an uproar that he would have no choice but to step down."

"Agreed," Fresno Bob, the leader of the Scorpion Cartels leans into the light. "He has been a pain in my organization for years... even before the dome was built around this city. Always spouting that moral bull crap in my direction. We need to knock him off his high horse!"

"He is not arrogant," one of the men speaks out. "He is an honest individual. That is one of the many reasons his predecessor choice him for the Corinth Project years ago when the dome first began its construction. Finding something damaging would take some time. More time than what we have. My vote goes for assassinating him."

"But assassination of character is much more fun," Chaz Winchester, speaks up. "Since my name is on the ballot for Corinth governorship, I can put pressure on him, given that I win the election."

"There is no doubt," the eldest Winchester speaks up. "You will win. We have seen to it."

"But what can we use against him," the silver haired man asks. "Could we wisk his son, Scott Truman, over to our side?"

"Highly doubtful," another speaks up. "He has the same mortality as his father, despite the fact that they don't get along."

"Leave that to me," Chaz stands to his feet. He walks over to the single door to the room and opens it, spilling light into the room. Chaz beckons to someone, urging them into the building. A rather tall, but thin and lanky, dark brown haired man, no older than twenty-five years of age, but younger than thirty enters the room. "Allow me to introduce Quincy Beck. The solution of our problem."

"Quincy Beck..." one of the men stands to his feet. "I know that name. From the Alphabet Soup Program that we funded..."

"Yes," Quincy smirks. "My grandfather was the one who ran Alphabet Soup the years following World War Two. However, you all can forget the formalities. Simply call me… Doctor Q."

"Doctor Q was one of the many Alphabet Soup scientists who had relocated to Corinth City before the dome was raised. He has been working on top-secret projects, including our very own version of Project Ranger. We were able to steal some schematics that we were able to get after Venjix's final attack on the City two years ago," Chaz remarks.

"I wouldn't exactly say… steal. I was already aware of the Project Designs before the Venjix War. I merely took what Doctor K created… and perfected it," Q interjects.

"Also, he is currently the Project Lead for Project Genesis," Chaz states. "One of the main goals of my campaign that I will use to seize the public trust."

"As you know, while Scott Truman was tracking the Venjix-bot, Professor Cog through the wastelands several years ago, he chased the mechanical monstrosity to a parallel dimension, an alternate Earth. A world where Venjix was never created or unleashed onto. Over the past two years my group and I have been researching and attempting to rebuild Professor Cog's technology so we can gather supplies from other parallel Earths to use in the restoration of our world."

"But what does that have to do with discrediting Colonel Mason Truman," Charles asks his son.

"Oh, let's just say," Q interlaces his fingers together. "Thanks to the equipment that we were able to restore, I came across several files of Cog's that reveal... shall we say, startling information. What it revealed... will be political homicide for the Colonel."

"What do you know," Charles narrows his eyes. He is growing tired of Q's stalling.

Q chuckles lightly as he turns his gaze slightly to Chaz, as if asking for confirmation to reveal what he knows to the group. Chaz nods. Q licks his dry lips as he leans close to the table. "Cog's files reveal just who created Venjix... and so does the Colonel. In fact, he allowed Venjix's creator to continue to roam free throughout the Corinth populace even after Venjix's destruction."

"Are you certain?"

"Really?"

"Outstanding!"

"That would force Truman out for sure!"

"Who," The senior Winchester leans out of his seat, his hands gripping the side of the table closest to him. "Who is it?"

Q's frame shakes slightly as he snickers. Behind him, Chaz merely crosses his arms in satisfaction. "None other than the famed..."

xxxxxxxxxx

Doctor K bursts out of the classroom, her face red with anger. Behind her she can still hear the snickering from the children in the room behind her.

"Blast them," she chokes out as she makes her way to the small room that was designated to be her shared office with Ziggy down the hall; her now long black hair flowing behind her as she darts into the room. She slams the door shut loudly, causing it to raffle on its frame. She removes her labcoat off and scoffs as she spots tons of spitballs stuck to the back of it. Tossing it onto the floor, Doctor K takes a seat in one of the chairs surrounding the circular conference table that they all use with the other teachers in their employ. She places her face in the palm of her hands, trying to curb off the impending headache she knows that is forthcoming.

"Children..." she mutters under her breath. "No matter how old they are, they are all children. They don't respect my curriculum. They don't respect me. The whole lot of them..."

Her own inability to deal with teens or even the youngest members of their summer school makes her a target of their jokes. While she never had grown up with anyone other than Gem and Gemma, who are both only a year older than her, she never had to deal with the teasing, the taunts and the total disregard of another individual that many children and teenagers had to deal with during the school system; be it public or private.

But that is only part of it, she would admit. A lot of it is guilt. The Summer School program that they launched two summers ago was meant for a place where the orphaned children from the War could go and been proactive during the summer while their public schools were closed for vacation. Ziggy made a deal with the Orphanage that he grew up at. The nuns were more than happy to assist in the teaching programs, which consisted of baking, arts and crafts, literature and even theater during the summer days. And there were tons of afternoon and after school tutoring classes throughout the year. The sciences all fell to Doctor K.

Standing before the children and teens, throughout her different classes, she is faced with people whose families were torn apart by Venjix, a being that she had created.

Willingly.

Granted that it wasn't her fault that Venjix escaped his confines. Alphabet Soup had attempted to execute her before she could contain Venjix in her attempt to escape their clutches after she discovered the truth. In part, she takes more than partial blame for the state of the Earth and its population. She thought she could deal with it. Force her way through it all, but hearing their stories, their poems of sadness during their literature periods proves more than she could handle at times. And although the students don't know the true reason of her aloofness, they all target her as the nerdy and geeky teacher to torment. She felt that she owed them. Let them taunt and tease and badmouth her. She dealt with it last summer and the first three weeks of this summer session.

"No more," she mutters under her breath.

A few minutes pass before she hears the door to the lounge opens. She doesn't have to be a psychic to know who just entered the room. "What do you want Ziggy..."

"Um, " Ziggy Grover bites his lip, not sure how to proceed. He slowly closes the door behind him, wincing as the door squeaks. "I... I heard the office door slam all the way across the building. You… um… you okay?"

Sighing, Doctor K lowers her hands and glares at the former Green Series Operator. "What do you think?"

"What happened," Ziggy asks as he makes his way over to the table where she is seated in front of.

Ziggy frowns. Her reaction is not too surprising. She has often threatened to quit, but over the past few weeks, he had actually begun taking her threats seriously and judging from her expression, and for the fact that she is visibly shaking at the moment, tells him that she is for real this time.

"Are you going to leave?"

"I have to. I'm drowning here," she shakes her head. She has never told him of the guilt she carries. He wouldn't understand. So she doesn't bother to explain just what she was referring to by drowning. Drowning in the guilt.

Ziggy frowns. "It can't be that bad. They are kids. Surely you remember what it was like being a kid…"

"No. Actually I don't," Doctor K stands to her feet. She peels off her lab coat and drapes it on the back of the chair, revealing her clothing attire in the process. Long gone is her Alphabet Soup uniform and in its place is a black skirt that ends just above her knees, and a matching black sweater. She is also wearing long black stockings that cover every inch of her pale legs. If anything, her clothing of choice now matches her personality, isolated and forbidding.

"Right. Alphabet Soup..." Ziggy sighs. "So you are just going to walk away from all we built?"

"What have we built," K throws her arms out. "We built nothing! This building was donated to us by the Orphanage that you grew up in! All we did, was fix it up. Sure you brought the money in, from an anonymous source that you refused to tell me who, who funded our first summer session! If anything, all we did was get the ball rolling for the Orphange to restart the schooling program that they were forced to shut down because of the Venjix War. We've built nothing! I've built nothing!"

"Is that the problem," Ziggy asks. "Cause if it is…"

"No, no its not," Doctor K shakes her head. "I… I don't know what the problem is," she does however, but she is not going to tell him that. "All I know is… I don't belong here. I never did."

"You're the one who wanted some kind of stability," Ziggy argues. "You more or less told me so during those hours that we were trapped in that cave."

Shrugging her shoulders, she turns away. "It matters not anymore. I'm done. After all, it is your dream. Not mine. Never was."

"K..."

"I'm heading back to the Garage. I will gather the necessary paperwork and sign over my share to the school to you tomorrow morning. But before I leave, may I make a suggestion?"

"I'm sure you will tell me even if I say no," Ziggy looks away.

"I know that you have been receiving money to help run this school from an anomalous benefactor," Doctor K begins. "Since day one, I have respected your decision, despite the fact that I believe that the benefactor is none other than Fresno Bob. Whatever you do, don't let whoever it is donating money to this school turn it into something that it is not."

"I... I won't," Ziggy is touched by her concern. He watches her as she gathers her things and place them into a large gym bag that she had brought into the office weeks ago when she first began threatening to leave. "You know... I was only trying to help you," Ziggy tells her retreating form. "Even though you never returned my affections... I've always just wanted to help you."

After zipping up the bag, Doctor K stops a few steps away from the door to the room. Without turning around, she meekly responds back to the former Green Operator. "I... I know. And I am sorry."

"So this is it then," Ziggy turns his head away slightly, his cheeks burning hot from the rejection. "For real this time?"

"It is," Doctor K closes her eyes. "I thank you for trying Ziggy. I do. But it has never been you. It has been... and probably will always be me. I'm not a people person. This... partnership of ours... has always been one-sided. It was... selfish of me. You deserved better than I have given you. Or not given you, as the case may be."

"What about you though," Ziggy asks. "Don't you deserve some happiness?"

"No," Doctor K finally turns back to Ziggy and looking at him in the face, finally deciding to reveal the source of her unhappiness to him. She is sure that he would try to argue against her reasons for leaving, but she doesn't care anyone. She is tired of fighting.

"A lot of those children that you have brought here to the school... you are right. It is good for them. I know a lot of them stay at the orphanage that you are so fond of. But every time I look at them, and I hear them talk about their missing parents... I am reminded of what I have done. Venjix and his armies may be responsible for killing their families... but I created Venjix. I don't deserve to be happy."

"Venjix is gone. Without you, this world would have been lost to Venjix... but… I understand," Ziggy remarks. He really doesn't want to let her go, but he understands. He always felt that there was another reason why she was so standoffish toward the children. "I just wish things were different..."

"I wish for that too Ziggy," K smiles sadly. "However... I can't help for what I feel... and I don't think this feeling is ever going to go away..."

"Well... it was a fun two years, wasn't it," Ziggy attempts to brighten the rather sour mood that the two have found themselves in.

Doctor K shakes her head sadly. "Look back at the past two years... have I made it fun for you? Or for the students? No. Fun is probably further from the truth..."

"No conversation can just be simple with you... can it," Ziggy chuckles. "Okay... I wish you luck."

"Luck has nothing to do with it... but I thank you for it," Doctor K remarks as she turns and walks out of the office. Ziggy walks over to the door and catches it before it closes. He watches her walk down the hallway, not bothering to turn around and glance around at the school she helped build. As she pushes open the door leading to the exit, Ziggy's throat tightens.

The door slowly shuts behind her. Ziggy runs a hand through his hair and sighs as he leans against the door frame to what is now his office. "Well... now what?"

xxxxxxxxxx

Several states away... at the now abandoned Venjix Palace...

"Is the bomb placed yet," an excited female voice echoes throughout the dark corridor of what was once Venjix's main base of operations. The large cylinder that once housed the malignant artificial intelligence sits in the middle of the room, vacant of life. The entire production facility is dead quiet, aside from the sounds of footsteps emitting down the hallway.

"Yeah, down the west corridor," an equally excited male voice responds. "What about yours?"

"Down the east corridor? Yeah," she remarks.

"Cool, let's blow..."

"This Popsicle stand," the female finishes the sentence of her companion. The duo trot down the long hallway. Eventually they spot light from the entrance. "Well, everything is good to go," the female emerges from the dark corridor first.

"Yeah. We'll detonate the bombs and blow this heap apart once we are at least two miles away," the male remarks as he picks up his jacket which he had discarded much earlier when they first entered Venjix's palace.

"Agreed. We not need to have to worry about the fallout," the two Corinth Soldiers make their way toward their waiting convoy. There are five large semi-trucks with large cargo carriers attached to the back of them as well as several army issued jeeps with soldiers standing by, awaiting further instructions. Standing beside one of the large transports are Private Vasquez Cruz and Corporal Eugene Hicks.

"Quite remarkable that it took close to a year of emptying out all of Venjix's old weapons and technology, eh Gemma," Hicks remarks.

"Yeah," Gemma responds as she removes her fatigue jacket and lies it onto of one of the huge wheels attached to the transport. Her jet back hair is tied back into a bun. "I can't wait to get home and rummage through it all! Venjix may have hated humanity, but he sure created some nice weapons! I wonder if the Colonel will let us try em out in the military junk yard!"

"Yeah," Gem grins, excited about the idea. "It's been months since we've been home. At least three!"

"Two and a few days actually. It's a straight shot from here," Vasquez remarks. "We'll be home in a few days. Back to Corinth."

"I'm ready to blow this place up," Gem twirls the detonator around in his hand. "Let's go!"

Gem and Gemma race toward their waiting transport, only to have Gemma run back toward Hicks and Vasquez to grab her jacket, then run back behind her brother. Hicks merely shakes his head as Vasquez giggles at the two.

"I swear, those two are crazy."

"But in a good way," Vasquez remarks. "But they are right. Let's go home."

"Okay troops," Hicks calls out to the other soldiers as they can be seen gathering their gear. "Let's get it into gear! Move out!"

xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning at the OCD, the Office of Corinth Defense...

"No. Absolutely not," the Colonel states as he drops a pamphlet of paper onto his desk. The pamphlet is none other than Doctor K's resume. The raven haired scientist places her hands on her hips. She is dressed rather appropriately for a job interview. She has a dark blue blouse and black skirt and matching full leggings and shoes.

"May I ask, why," Doctor K frowns. "I can be a great asset to the rebuilding process of our planet."

The Colonel frowns as he leans back into his seat. He picks up his mug and takes a sip of the hot coffee before responding. "Putting you in a position where the potential for you to create another Venjix is out of the question."

"I have no desire to create any more horrors I assure you," The Doctor pleads. "I had a role in creating the situation that we are all dealing with now. I want to help fix the world. I can provide assistance for Project Genesis."

"I don't even want to know how you know about that Project," the Colonel frowns before continuing. "But I can assume that you have been talking with Scott. No, I can't help you. I suggest going back to that school where you can stay out of trouble," Colonel Truman leans back into his seat. "You want to help fix the world? Go help mold those young minds so that they can be prepared for the world that we live in. A world you helped create."

"I don't know what to tell you then," Mason remarks. He notices her crumbling expression, but says nothing.

"I... I see. Thank you for you for your time Colonel," Doctor K manages to squeak out as she gathers her briefcase and quietly and quickly exits out of the Colonel's office. The corners of her eyes are burning, not for the rejection of not being hired, but once more having the guilt of being the one responsible for aiding in the destruction of Earth being shoved in her face.

As she leaves the room, the Colonel sighs as he brings a hand to his forehead. He glances at one of the three photo frames on his desk. There is one with his long deceased wife, Vanessa Truman and him. The other has Vanessa holding a baby Scott, and sitting beside a slightly older, but a still younger Marcus. The third photo is a photo of Marcus, in his military dress uniform. His eyes come to rest on the photo of his eldest son.

Sighing once more, the Colonel leans back into his chair. "I need a drink."

xxxxxxxxxx

Storming out of the City Council building is none other than Scott Truman, with Flynn McAllistair right on his feels. If looks could kill, Scott would have been arrested for homicide. "The nerve of those people..." he glances back toward the building with hostility quite evident in his eyes.

"Calm down laddie," Flynn places a comforting hand on his shoulder. The Scotsman is wearing a pair of oil stained coveralls and a pale blue t-shirt. "Getting yourself worked over it won't help!"

"Flynn, I am Wing Commander of Corinth's Aerial Forces," Scott remarks. "How can I do my job if the City Council won't give me the funds needed to maintain the Fighter Jets? To train pilots? I have a whole Squadron that is grounded with only six active and ready for combat Fighter Jets! They sure didn't mind pouring out the funds around the anniversary of Venjix's defeat for the celebratory airshow!"

"Ye will find a way laddie," Flynn tries to assure him. "Ye are Scott Truman! The hero of Corinth!"

"If that is all it took," Scott sighs.

"Besides, what is the rush? With ol Venjix gone, the world is safe."

"For now," Scott sighs. "I'm a Soldier, Flynn. More than that, I am a Commander. It is my job to make sure that our defenses are ready for anything, whatever may rise up to threaten us. Commander Murdock doesn't seem to have the same kind of issues of getting funding for supplies or training for the Marines... Listen man, thanks for the support. I have taken up enough of your time today."

"Aye, well, ye are my best friend," Flynn tosses an arm around Scott's shoulder. "Isn't that what friends are for? To support each other?"

"Yeah, yeah," Scott shrugs his friend off his person and straightens his military uniform. He is wearing a uniform similar to his fathers, only with fewer metals. His once natural and free flowing Afro is pulled back tight, held in place with a rubber band. Military regulations require short hair, but who is going to argue with the Commander of Corinth's Eagle Squad? However, he keeps it pulled back, if more than anything, to respect tradition. "I'll catch ya later."

"Aye, aye. I need to go clean up my apartment. Gemma and the others should be back any day now and today is the only free day I got. Gemma will freak out when she sees what a mess I've left the place become in her absence," Flynn waves his hand as he walks away.

Scott watches the Scotsman whistle as he slowly disappears down the sidewalk. Scott shakes his head amused then proceeds to walk in the direction opposite of the City Council building toward the OCD building where his father's office is located. He needs to vent and if anyone knows how frustrating it is to deal with the civilian city government, it is his father. As he marches across the street, he notices a very familiar looking woman seated on a bench before the building.

"That's... Doctor K," Scott blinks. He glances down at his wristwatch. "What is she doing out... is she crying?"

Scott slowly walks toward the bench; not once does she look in his direction. He can hear her quiet sniffles as her body rocks back and forward softly. He has never seen the normally stoic and hardened Doctor so weak. The two of them have grown closer the past two years, like she has with all the members of the formerly active Project Ranger, but he has never seen her so… unlike herself. His earlier frustration is quickly forgotten.

"Hey, Doc," Scott walks up to her and places a hand on her shoulder. He feels her jump under his touch. "Are you okay?"

"You want to talk about it," Scott asks sincerely, his earlier frustrations toward the Corinth City Council quickly being pushed to the back of his mind. "It looks like you need a friend..."

"What I need…," Doctor K wipes her eyes. "Is something to keep my mind focused and... and... not have to deal with people. Children in particular, but people overall."

"You finally quit the school I take it," Scott remarks. Doctor K slowly and uncertainly nods. He places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Let me treat you to dinner. We can talk about what's troubling you..."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah. Dinner. It is getting rather late in the evening. The sun will be setting shortly. So yeah. Dinner. My treat. Anything you want. You look like you need to be pampered to," Scott smiles down at her. "Besides, I know what cafeteria food in a school tastes like. And if it is anything like what Ziggy has prepared for us in the past... I think you'll find real dining out to be a real treat."

"Anything particular you have a craving for," Scott asks as he pulls her to her feet. "My car is not too far from here."

"Not particular," Doctor K remarks as she straightens up her folders and places them under her arm. "But a nice variety would be acceptable."

"I know just the place," Scott grins as he leads her toward the parking deck where his '94 Nissan Sylvia is parked, his hand on her backside.

xxxxxxxxxx

Several hours away from the city of Corinth, a dusty black muscle car makes its way through one of the many abandoned cities as it heads toward Corinth. Despite the fact that Venjix has been gone for over two years, the majority of the populace has remained within the safety of the dome. The three occupants of the vehicle have been giving the coordinates to the city for those they encountered outside the dome during their travels. Every three months, they return to the dome for rest and relaxation and to replenish their supplies only to head back outside the city once more to continue their search.

"How far away are we from Corinth now," Summer Landsdown asks the driver of the vehicle. Her once long blond hair is now shorter than it once was. It is now much straighter, and sways just beneath her ears.

"Dunno," Dillon simply states. "Can't be too much further."

"Going by the coordinates we are currently present at, we are approximately five hours away from Corinth," Tenaya simply states from the back seat. Despite Summer's obvious change of appearance, Dillon and Tenaya look exactly the same. It is from the large amounts of their organics that were removed and replaced with machinery that keeps them from aging like a normal human.

"Now I wish I didn't know," Dillon admits from behind the steering wheel. "We need to get your eye implants examined as soon as we arrive."

"You are worried over a glitch," Tenaya sighs, her dual layered voice sounds annoyed over Dillon's constant and never ending worrying over her well-being. "I am fine. I have run several diagnostic tests on my optic implants. I am fine. It was just a glitch."

"Going blind for a whole day is not a glitch," Dillon glances up at her in the mirror. "And then your sight suddenly reappeared? You are going to get checked out."

"We are just worried Tenaya," Summer smiles back at her. "And even if your internal diagnostics came back negative, it would still be great to have another person's opinion. Namely, Doctor K's. After all, she is the expert on hybrid technology, being that she had a hand in designing the schematics."

"But we still had so much more area to cover," Tenaya pouts. "We had barely made our way through the southern quarter of California. Then there was still Texas, Arizona and the other Southern States..."

"Corinth's Eagle Squad was being restructured for that reason itself, to fly out to other states in search of other communities that survived the Venjix war," Summer remarks. "If they were able to do that, we'll find out when we get there. Besides, our supplies are rather low anyways. It would be nice to check in on everyone and see how they are doing. My parents especially. Wouldn't you agree, Dillon?"

"You know I don't like your parents."

"You only say that because they tried to marry me off to Chaz," Summer smiles. "Once you sit down with them..."

Summer's sentence is cut off as three large flying spheres erupt out of the ground in front of Dillon's car. Dillon slams onto the breaks, but it doesn't matter. One of the top spinning spheres tears the roof of his car off. All three of them duck from the impact, but the matter is moot as the next spinning projectile slams into the hood of the car, caring it to catapult up into the air. The three are thrown from the vehicle. Lucky for Summer, she falls onto a clear patch of the ground, but the impact knocks her unconscious. Tenaya and Dillon however, slam into the gravel of the street.

Groaning, the two stand to their feet. "What... what was that..." Dillon groans.

"It looked like," Tenaya's eyes widen as she detects motion behind her. She quickly turns and shoves Dillon out of the way as the third and final spinning disk appears and slams directly into her, sending her flying across the street and onto an empty bus.

Dillon picks himself up off the ground once more, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Tenaya! Are you..."

Before he can finish his sentence, the three spinning disks appear once more and all three strike him one after the other. Sparks fly off his body as he falls down to his knees. Behind him, he can hear a lower mummer. It takes him a few moments to realize that what he hears is laughter.

Dillon slowly turns around and his eyes widen as he sees a familiar metallic figure standing beside what use to be his car. In its left hand an unconscious Summer can be seen held by her throat. There is a small cut above her right eyebrow, with blood running down her face.

"Hello Subject D-44," the robot hisses at Dillon. "So good to see you... in one piece."

"Professor Cog," Dillon attempts to stand upright, only to have a searing pain ride up his left leg. "I thought that you were destroyed… again! In a whole other dimension for that matter!"

"As you can clearly see, I'm here. Those Megaforce Rangers only destroyed a copy of my body. I was safely here in this dimension, remotely controlling that body. Upon my original defeat against Ranger Red and that Samurai Red Ranger from Earth-1, I've spent the last two years building up my resources and..."

"I don't care," Dillon snarls. "Release Summer!"

"Oh, I think not," the robot remarks as it increases pressure onto Summer's neck. "You see, she is my bargaining chip. There is something I need, something from Corinth City. And I need you to get it for me."

"Never," Dillon screams. "Now release her!"

"Pity," the Cog remarks. "Cause you see, I could fix the problem that your dear sister has with her eyes."

The raven haired hybrid slowly walks over to where her brother is standing. "Don't listen to him Dillon. Venjix programmed him to be a genius and one of his abilities is to be deceivingly untrustworthy!"

"This coming a lowly infiltration unit," Cog shakes his head. "I can see why your kind irritated my brother Kilobyte as much as you did! Anyways, I know that your implants in your eyes are failing. I'm the one who caused it."

"Dillon, we must be careful," Tenaya whispers. "Out of all of Venjix's generals, Cog was the most deadly."

"I'm not worried," Dillon remarks. "Scott destroyed him once! This guy, he's just the rebuilt backup file that Venjix had stored in his closet!"

"A backup file that has had two years to improve," Professor Cog remarks as he jerks Summer upward. "So what is it going to be?"

"Tearing you limb from limb," Dillon screams as he charges toward Cog. Tenaya quickly follows Dillon's lead, hoping that she can get to Summer before Cog does anything to harm her any further. Cog's three eyes glow red and he quickly tosses Summer aside and transforms his hands into giant weapons, one in the shape of a wrench and the other a screwdriver. It charges forward and strikes down Dillon and swings at Tenaya, missing the female hybrid as she leaps over its head and kicks it in the backside.

"They'll hold," Tenaya remarks. "Besides, you are emotionally compromised right now, with Summer in danger. I am much stronger than you Dillon. Don't worry, I'll end this quickly."

"You are more than welcomed to try," Professor Cog gets up to his feet laughs as it squats down into an offensive position. Tenaya charges the robot, and the two lock arms, trying to overpower the other. Dillon darts over to where Summer is sprawled out onto the dirt. Her neck is red, from the powerful grip of the robot. Dillon picks up her and holds her in his arms. Looking back at the fight, he watches his sister take a rather nasty hit to her face, causing her to be tossed aside like a rag-doll. One of the wheels begins to twirl on Cogs chest as the robot turns toward Dillon.

Dillon's eyes widen as he realizes that Cog is preparing to fire upon Summer and himself. He quickly turns around, using his body to shield his girlfriend in his arms. The blasts tears into his clothing and strikes him, lurching him forward. Summer is tossed out of his arms, and her body rolls several feet away.

Tenaya quickly darts to his side, only to be met with the Cog's foot intercepting her middle, kicking her away. Professor Cog then picks Dillon up by his hair, and with his other in the shape of a large wrench gabs Dillon in the stomach.

"You see, I have learned something rather interesting," Cog hisses in Dillon's face. "Several months ago, during Corinth's little parade, I learned that Operators Series Red, Blue and your little girlfriend donned their Biosuits for the event. All part of the current Governors plan of rallying up moral support amongst the populace!"

"So… wo what," Dillon growls. "You were spying on us? How did you… get into the city?"

"Oh, I didn't. However, a beacon, a rather low level beacon was transmitting from within the City. Master Venjix still lives! He is trapped within the Ranger Red's Morpher! He was able to use the small amount of energy from within the Morpher to emit a frequency that only one such as myself would have detected!"

"True, you did recover his physical remains," Cog states. "During Master Venjix's brief control over the Biofield, he was able to hijack a ride straight out of his body and into the Morpher which had the most power! If Ranger Red's Morpher was at full power, he could have taken control of his Biosuit and escaped! At your little parade and street festival a few months ago, Master Venjix informed me that there wasn't enough power in Ranger Red's Morpher to seize control! Now that is where you come in, D-44! You are going to go to Doctor K's lab and retrieve Master Venjix!"

"Screw you," Dillon spats as he tries to pry the robot's fingers apart.

"Suit yourself," the robot chuckles as he unleashes a powerful energy blast onto Dillon's abdomen from his chest blaster once more. The former Black Ranger screams in agony as the blast knocks him free of the robots grip, but not before ripping some of his hair out of the roots. Dillon rolls onto the ground, bleeding badly from his stomach wound. "If you won't willingly bring me the Master, perhaps my hypnobolts will be more effective in conceiving you!"

"No! Leave him alone," Tenaya screams as she charges toward the killer robot. The robot pulls a cylinder device from off his chest and presses a button on side of it. Tenaya's eyes flash and her body falls forward in mid-step. She became deactivated through the implants in her brain. She falls forward into a heap onto the rugged soil, her eyes still open. Dillon tries to stand, but he is blown back from taking several blasts of Cog's hypnobolts to the chest. His own eye implants flash orange as he hits the ground.

"While the Venjix-virus may no longer reside within your implants, you are still hybrids," Professor Cog explains. "Still Venjix technology. And whoever controls the technology... controls the hybrids," he mutters as he walks over to where Dillon is crawling toward Summer, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. "I will reprogram Tenaya, and she'll be a loyal Venjix servant once more. As for you, I have plans for you Subject D-44," a long needle ejects from its palm. Cog roughly tosses Dillon onto his back and with a quick stab to the chest in one of his implant regulators; he injects Dillon once more with the Venjix Virus. "There. That will somewhat repair the damage to your body... long enough to bring me what I need. Here," Cog tosses down a small USB thumb-drive. "That is a powerful memory unit. Large enough to store Master Venjix's AI. He is trapped within a Project Series Morpher. You'll know which one once you get close enough to sense the Master's hidden beacon."

"How..." Dillon hisses as he feels his implants beginning to burn beneath his skin as the Venjix-virus begins to seep throughout his implants once more. He begins to feel his control slipping away.

"Connect this device and download the Master. You do so, and your sister and woman shall not be destroyed. At least, not yet. Fight against my hypnobolts and I will know. You try to warn your friends... I will know."

"I'll... I'll destroy you..." Dillon spats as he falls to his knees. He lurches forward, blood spilling out of his mouth.

"You may try, but you will fail," the malignant machine remarks as he walks toward Summer and picks her up. He tosses her over his shoulder and then walks over to where Tenaya is laying. He grabs her by one of her legs and begins to drag her off. "Once you recover the Master, return to this place. I will know when you return. Oh, and while you're at it, destroy the Ranger's Morphers, just in case."

"I will get you," Dillon screams as he struggles to stay conscious as he falls forward onto the ground. "You... Venjix... scum..."

"Now that... will be worth seeing D-44," Professor Cog laughs as he disappears through the dust storm that has begun to brew about them. "That will be worth seeing."

POWER RANGERSRPM

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